After discovering Neighborhood Barre in Knoxville, Kelly Phillips fell in love with the nontraditional exercise method. Four years later, she decided to leave her corporate marketing job and open her own studio in Brentwood.

'Health became a really important focus in my life throughout the last couple of yearshaving my daughter just kind of set off a light bulb in my head of what I really wanted to do for a career going forward,” says Phillips, a self-proclaimed barre addict.

Brought to Tennessee by certified yoga instructor Katy Richardson in 2010, NB is based on the method founded by German-Russian ballerina Lotte Berk in the 1950s. NB takes elements from yoga and Pilates and emphasizes core and isometric strength training, using small movements to build lean muscle.

'You use your own body weight throughout most of our exercises, so you control the tempo and resistance,” Phillips says. 'We really focus on a lot of the trouble areas for women. There's a ton of core focus throughout the class as a whole, and then we do dedicated work on thighs, seat, and hips.”

Moms are a particular focal point for Phillips, who offers altered, prenatal-friendly routines as well as child care for clients, but the classes are open to everyone, including men and barre beginners. Phillips recommends trying at least three classes before deciding if barre is right for you, since the exercises change daily.

'I have a wonderful group of instructors,” she adds. 'We have a great reputation for being hands-on and very descriptive throughout the class to make people feel comfortable and to really maximize their experience from the exercise.” (Her team includes former Bachelor contestant Kacie Boguskie.)

Wrapped up into a warm, welcoming environment, it's a studio worth exploringespecially with a free trial class for all newcomers.